Trap-door.



W. H. MUSSEY.

TRAP DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY17, 1912.

Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

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W. H. MUSSEY.

TRAP noon.

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1,069,570, I Patefited Aug. 5, 1913.

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WILLIAM H. MUSSEY, OF RICHMOND HILL, NEW YORK.

TRAP-DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au". 5,1913.

Application filed May 17, 1912. Serial No. 698,059.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVILLIAM H. MussnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond Hill, Long Island, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trap-Doors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trap-doors for railroad coaches, and more particularly to means for fastening the trap-door in a horizontal position.

The object of the invention is to provide a fastening means for securing the trap-door in active position in such manner as to preclude any possibility of the operating or actuating device of the fastener from becoming accidentally disengaged.

To the accomplishment of the recited object and .others subordinate therewith, the preferred embodiment of my invention resides in that construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and embraced within the scope of the appended claim.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the end portion of a coach illustrating the application of my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the construction and arrangement shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail bottom plan view of the fastener and keeper therefor, and Fig. t is a detail perspective view of the fastener and a portion of the keeper, the same being detached from their respective supports.

Generally speaking, the invention comprises a latch mounted on the under side near the outer marginal edge of the trap door in combination with a keeper of angular form secured to one side of the platform end-stick or door jamb, an opening being arranged vertically through the trap-door to permit of ready access to the operating handle of the latch for the purpose of engaging and disengaging the latter with respect to the said keeper.

Referring more particularly to the drawings for a detail description of my invention, the numeral 1 designates the end portion of a coach, having the usual platform end-stick or jamb 2 inclosing a vestibule 3 and a platform, as 4:- The trap-door 5 is pivoted in any suitable manner, as at 6, to the inner jamb of the car 1 so that in active position it will lie in alinement with the platform 4: of the coach. On the under side of the outer free end of the trap-door 5 is suitably secured by screws 7 or other suitable fastening means a casing 8, and pivoted centrally of this casing at 9 is a bell crank lever or member 10, one of the arms 11 constituting a latch and the other arm 12 com prising an operating handle. The said arm 11 projects eXteriorly through one end of the casing 8, but terminates short of the adja cent end of the trap door and a coil spring 13 is interposed between the inner wall of the casing and the corresponding extremity of said latch, the function of the spring obviously being to maintain the device in operative position. Immediately above the operating handle 12 is an elongated opening 14 in the trap-door 5, the same permitting of the desired manipulation of the said handle from a point above the trap-door. Arranged longitudinally of the platform end-stick 2 is an angle-iron 15 provided with an opening approximately at the center thereof, as at 16. This angle-iron virtually forms a keeper for the latch 11 of the fastening device, and at the same time serves as a support for the outer free end of the trapdoor, as clearly exhibited in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

In operation, when the trap-door is oscillated from the vertical to a horizontal position the under side of the latch, which as will be found upon inspection of Fig. 4, is slightly curved or beveled, as at 17, will impinge against the edge of the keeper 15 of one side of the opening 16, riding thereover and automatically receding to its normal position, that is, beneath the keeper 15, as illustrated in Fig. 8. Then it is desired to disengage the latch, the hand is inserted through the opening 14 of the trap-door and the lever 12 constrained outwardly, whereupon the latch 11 will pass from beneath the keeper 15 into the opening 16, thus allowing the door as an entirety to be oscillated to a vertical position. In this connection it will be noted that the operating handle 12 isto one side of a line drawn longitudinally through the center of the opening so that sufficient space is afforded for an expeditious manipulation of the handle.

By arranging the fastening device upon the under side of the trap-door as hereinbefore explained it will be understood that there are no projections which would be beam, or a keeper carried by and projecting from said bumper beam, a trap door pivoted at one end, a. latch including an operatinghandle mounted directly and Wholly upon the bottom of said trap door, said latch and handle being movable in a plane parallel to the plane of the trap door, said trap door having a hand-hole and said handle being 15 ;directly in the path of the hand-hole and immediately adjacent to the bottom of the trap-door. combination with a platform and a bumper In testimony whereof I hereunto afiiX my signature inpresence of tWo Witnesses.

WILLIAM H. MUSSEY. WVitnesses Roma N. MILLER, R. H. ALLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the' Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0; 

